Welcome back after what I trust was a very restful break for everyone. We are particularly pleased to welcome all of our new students who joined us this week. A very big welcome to the ISS community to all or new families.

Good FridayNext Friday 14th April is a public holiday in Singapore for Good Friday. The school will be closed on Friday 14th April. A very happy Easter to all our families who will be celebrating next weekend.

Student Led ConferencesI look forward to meeting many of you at the Student Led Conferences on Tuesday 18th April. Please see below as to how to sign up and remember that there is no school on that day. There will also be a book fair in the Library at the same time as the conferences.

Please note that all students are expected to attend the Student Led Conference and there is no other school on Tuesday 18th April.

Returning information

As we enter the final two months of the school year we begin to make our plans and preparations for the 2017/18 academic year. To assist us with this if you have not already done so please could you let the school know whether you intend to return to ISS in August.

Middle School MandarinI'm sad to inform you that Ms Adelia Mu will be leaving her position as Middle School Mandarin teacher on the 13th of April.Adelia has to return to China for personal reasons and I am sure you will all join me for thanking her for her hard work in the time she has been at ISS.Adelia's role will be taken over by Ms Qian Hong. Qian has most recently been working at Hillside International School here in Singapore having previously worked as a Chinese Lecturer at the University of Rhode Island in the USA. We are pleased to welcome Qian to our team.

PTAThe ISS PTA would like to invite you to the PTA General Meeting, next Monday April 10th, at 8am. The meeting will be held in the Elementary School Multipurpose hall (3rd floor) of the Paterson campus.

We will be giving you an update on the proceeds of the recently held Fun Fair, progress on our Middle School’s upcoming performance "Into the Woods", and updates on upcoming activities the PTA will participate in during the last quarter of the school year, including a summary on collaboration with the school Arts and Drama departments, and a joint venture fund raising activities for the benefit of students.

Light refreshments will be available. Come along, catch up and meet other w parents!

Summer SchoolThe annual ISS Summer School will run this year from 3rd to 28th of July. There is a great programme of fun activities. The Summer school is open to everyone whether ISS students or not so tell your friends.

Welcome back, I hope everyone had a relaxing and enjoyable holiday. It was wonderful to see everyone back at school this week as we also welcomed many new families to ISS. You will have noticed that during the break, our playground gained a new slide and racing track for our Early Years students to explore and enjoy. We ended our first week back by cheering on our finalists in the ISS Ninja Warriors House event. Thank you to Mr. Nathan for organizing the event!

Student Led ConferencesOn Tuesday 18th April, the school will be having one of the highlights of the school year the Student Led Conferences.

At the Student Led Conference your child will share with you their learning journey at ISS. It is always a highlight of the school year in any PYP school. While teachers will be present in and around classrooms, the purpose of this event is for students to discuss their own learning with their parents or guardians. If you would like to speak to your child's teacher individually, please schedule a separate time to meet.

As there are only 4 slots during each hour block please sign up early to ensure you can come at the time you would most want.

After visiting your child's classroom, your child should take you around the school to show you what they have been learning in Mandarin, ESL, Art, Performing Arts and PE.

Please note that all students are expected to attend the Student Led Conference and there is no other school on Tuesday 18th April.

SwimmingStarting on Monday 17th April, all students in the Elementary ​School will begin swimming lessons as part of the Physical Education​ Curriculum. ​This year the swimming program and Swim Gala will again take place at the Sports Lifestyle Centre in Bukit Merah (3500A Bukit Merah Central, Singapore 159837). Students will travel by bus to and from the venue.​Mr Nathan & Mr Dino will oversee the swimming program in collaboration with Sports Lifestyle's qualified swim coaches.​ The swimming schedule is below and as you will see, the students will spend a double PE period each week to travel to the venue and complete their swim lesson.

On the days when you child has swimming lessons they will need to bring the following:​ - Swimming costume - Towel - Plastic bag for wet items. - Flip Flops or Sandals to be worn to and from the pool - Goggles and swimming caps are optional - Suncream (highly recommended)

Please note that the swim program is an integral part of the ISS educational program and is not optional for students. We invite parents of ​students in K1 & K2 ​classes to accompany us to the pool to assist with transitions and organising students after they exit the pool. If you have a child in K1 or K2 and are interested in volunteering to assist please email me at nhorne@iss.edu.sg.

At the end of the Swimming Period we will have our annual Swim Gala on the morning of ​Monday June 5th ​and all parents will be invited to attend. ​Further details of this will be sent closer to the date.

Talented TeachersMs. Musiowsky presented at the ASCD Annual Conference, Empower17 in Anaheim, California over spring break. The session was called "5 Teacher Behaviours That Prepare Students to Lead", based on a blog post that was featured in ASCD Express. The session was a success, as about 80 educators from around the world joined me in reflecting on their own behaviours as teachers.

Greetings and welcome to Term 4. Where has the year gone? I hope everyone had a restful, exciting and fulfilling March break. So much happens in Term 4 and we hit the ground running.

Science Week starts MondayDr Jeremiah has a truly exciting list of events taking place:MONDAY 10 APRIL Lunch time 11:25am-12:10pmWatch a movie with a message about Earth Day in the MS Hall (First half)TUESDAY 11 APRILLessons 1-3 8:10-10:45amStudent Exhibition in the MS Hall Grade 6 60s video challenge8:10-8:55amGrade 7 Home design for climate change 8:55-9:40amGrade 8 From Electricity to Electromagnets 10:00-10:45amTUESDAY 11 APRILLunch time 11:25am-12:10pmWatch a movie with a message about Earth Day in the MS Hall (Second half)WEDNESDAY 10 APRIL 11:10-11:30amScience in the real world... Listen to our guest scientists talk about their jobs in the perfume industry (presentation will be in the MS Hall)THURSDAY 11 APRILLunch time 11:25am-12:10pmEat lunch and play Kahoot in the Hall to celebrate the end of MS Science Week!

Grade 5 transition to Grade 6 eveningOn Wednesday 12th April, from 6pm-7pm in the MS Hall, there will be an information evening for Grade 5 parents. The session will revolve around the transition into Grade 6. The move from Elementary to Middle School. It’s an exciting time in a student’s life and this evening is aimed at smoothing out any misconceptions, answering any questions and setting up expectations for students and parents alike. Please RSVP via this link.

Student Led ConferencesOn Tuesday 18th April, the school will be having one of the highlights of the school year the Student Led Conferences (SLC).

At the SLC your child will share with you their learning journey at ISS. It is always a highlight of the school year in any MYP school. While teachers will be present in and around classrooms, the purpose of this event is for students to discuss their own learning with their parents or guardians. If you would like to speak to your child's teacher individually, please schedule a separate time to meet.